Death of the Apprentice
by Wogle
Summary: Robin is becoming more and more like Slade, but refuses to accept it. Only one titan can see this... Can she help him, or will he become corrupted towards evil? RobinRaven pairing. Rated R for later chapters. R&R please, since it's my first fan fic.
1. Come to the Dark Side

Title: Death of the Apprentice

Author: Wogle

Rating: R

A/N: This is my first Fan Fic... Please R&R. It helps me think...

* * *

Chapter 1: Come to the Dark Side 

"Pity Robin... I thought you'd have become stronger since our last fight..."

Slade's cold unemotional voice echoed in a dingy warehouse somewhere in Jump City. In the middle of the place two figures could be seen. One was overpowering, in control, and standing tall over the other; that person, down on his knees, just about keeping himself up with his arms.

"Heh... Sorry to disappoint you... I guess I should have kept off the junk food..."

Robin's sense of humour at a time like this seemed inappropriate, but he didn't care, all he could think about at that moment in time was killing Slade. Nothing else seemed to matter. He coughed violently letting out a spurt of bloodthat splattered onto the floor, and ribbled out the sides of his mouth. Slade smiled darkly behind his mask and continued to peer down at Robin.

"You still wish to fight, even though you're at the brink of destruction?" Slade asked. "You know you can't win."

Robin's anger brewed further to the point of boiling over. He couldn't bear the thought of Slade defeating him. It would mean that Slade would go on to kill each of the titans. Starfire... Beast Boy... Cyborg... and... Raven... Robin suddenly felt a jolt in his chest at her name. Raven... Why did her name suddenly do that to him... It must have just been the damage he'd received from the severe beating.

"YES... I... CAN!" Robin roared. "I... WON'T... LET... YOU... WIN... YOU BASTARD!"

With that, Robin painfully got to his feet, and tried to size himself up to Slade. Slade was delighted...

"Yes... Yes... Robin... Let your anger feed you... I am the one you want... Take me down!"

Robin launched himself at Slade throwing punch and kick after one another at him. Slade dodged them almost majestically, like a latin dancer. Robin pushed himself to the brink, fuelled on his anger and hatred towards Slade. Finally, summoning all of his strength, he pulled out his staff and swung it as hard as he could at Slade's head, sending him crashing to the ground. Robin landed on his feet, but collapsed onto his knees almost immediately.

"Hah... You forget... I never give up..." He said weakly. With that, he fell unconscious...

Slade, shocked, yet satisfied, moved towards the barely-alive body of Robin. Robin had smashed the bottom half of his mask, and Slade's mouth was visible. A smile curled on his lips as he stared down.

"Excellent Robin... Soon, your anger will overcome you, and you'll become EXACTLY like me..."

"Yo Robin! Where the hell are you?"

Cyborg's loud voice drifted into the almost empty warehouse, soon followed by the voices of the other Titans.

"Good friend Robin, where are you"  
"Robin... Dude where are you? ROBIN"  
"Guys... I think he's in here"  
"How do you know Raven"  
"His bike's outside Cyborg"  
"Oh... Yeah... Right..."

Slade turned to the sound advancing voices, and slowly turned back to Robin's body.

"It has now begun..." He whispered, unemotionally. With that, Slade melted back into the shadows of the warehouse.

Within a few seconds the front door of the warehouse smashed forwards, and the other four titans were standing, surveying the warehouse.

"I don't see him..." Beast Boy said.  
"Let the dust settle BB." replied Cyborg.  
"He's there!"

Raven had already sensed Robin's prescence and pointed to the centre of the warehouse. They all rushed in quickly and found Robin on the ground face down, a trickle of blood flowing from a wound on his head. Cyborg turned him onto his back and checked his pulse and breathing.

"He's alive." He announced. "But he looks like shit"  
"Shouldn't we take him to a hospital or something?" Raven suggested.  
"I suppose we could, but you know what Robin's like Rae... He'll just rip all the wires out of himself and march out of the building. Nah... Best take him back to the tower... We'll take care of him there."

The Titans all agreed this would be for the best. Raven used her powers to carry Robin out of the warehouse and onto his bike parked outside. She then levitated the bike on to the top of the T-Car, though much to Cyborg's annoyance ("Hey! Watch the paint!"). Raven dropped down beside the bike and stared at Robin for a few seconds, before turning around to get off the roof.

"S... Slade..."

Raven's head jerked back towards Robin... Her eyes narrowed. She knew that name meant no good; Slade was almost an obsession to Robin, and no-one could do anything about it. She felt pity for him about it.

"Robin.." She whispered to herself. She began to turn away again.

"Raven..."

Raven froze. Did Robin just say her name? She told herself it was just her imagination and quickly got into the T-Car. However, all the way back to the tower, she could only think about what she thought she heard... Robin saying her name...

* * *

Well that's chapter 1 ladies and gentlemen. Heh... Robin vs Slade...


	2. Dreams of a Distant Future

A/N: Ooh... People who's stories I enjoy, enjoy mine! Cool...

* * *

Chapter 2: Dreams of a Distant Future

"Well done my apprentice... You've led me right to them..."

A faint, yet deep andfamiliarvoice filled Robin's ears. Groaning, he attempted to pull himself together.

"It was far too easy..."

Instantly Robin recognised the voice, and sprang to his feet instantly. Taking a quick look around, he found that he was in fact inside of the Titan Tower, and had been lying on the couch infront of the television. He jerked his head round in every direction to find the source of Slade's voice.

"Where are you!" demanded Robin.  
"Oh... I'm near apprentice..." Came the reply.  
"Why are you calling me your apprentice? I'm not your apprentice anymore! Your apprentice was Terra"  
"Yes... She was an... Interesting apprentice... Quite strong too, but only because of her powers. However, she was never truly like me. She still cared for you, and only wanted acceptance. I accepted her when you turned her away... I trained her to use her skills effectively. However, even when she didn't hold back, you were able to all defeat her so easily."

The Television suddenly flickered on, and Slade's mask filled the entire wall.

"You on the other hand Robin... You have no powers... Yet you are able to perform almost impossible manouvres... You have agility and strength far beyond these meer worthless titans... YOU are able to defeat them ALL, even when holding back... But best of all.. You're exactly like me..."

These words infuriated Robin, and Slade knew it. He counted on this single factor to push Robin over the edge.

"NO!" Robin Screamed. "I AM NOTHING LIKE YOU"  
"On the contrary", came a satisfied voice, "have you ever TRIED to compare the both of us?"

Static now consumed the television screen, sending Robin into a heightened state of alert. He looked around carefully. From the shadows, Slade's voice emerged once again.

"Robin... Let me in on a little secret"  
"What's that? You like puppy dogs"  
"Hahaha... Not quite. I can tell you why we're the same"  
"Enlighten me. I'd love to disaprove"  
"Indeed you would. However I know that you became a hero for revenge..."

Robin froze. How did Slade know that? Robin was suddenly rooted to the spot in fear.

"I too, started out for revenge... As the years went on, I became more and more angry at my enemies... I wanted to teach each of them a lesson. When I had a target, I wouldn't let go... Not even if it would kill me... Sound like someone you know... Robin?"

Behind his mask, Robin's eyes displayed fear and anxiety... He knew that he was all of those things... Was Slade really the same?

"And now Robin... Let me enhance you hatred and lust for vengeance..."

Slade emerged out of the shadows, dragging 2 objects beside himself. At first Robin couldn't make out what they were, but it soon turned out to be not what... But WHO...

In his right hand, Slade had his fingers clutching to the remains of Cyborg's head... what flesh was left dripped of blood whilst any mechanical piece of him dragged behind. The left contained Beast Boy; his lifeless body fitting his stare. He simply dropped them both to the ground as if they were nothing but bags of rubbish to him. Robin clenched his hands tightly into fists, ready to pounce.

"Ah ah ah Robin... We don't want to be impolite and not allow the LADIES their introduction now do we?"

Robin's eyes widened. Slade wouldn't be so cruel as to do anything to them, would he?

"You better not have touched them." Robin threatened menacingly.

A click of Slade's fingers gave the answer to Robin. Starfire's body fell from the ceiling; burned, and still bleeding, making a loud thump at Robin's feet. For a few moments, Robin could only stare at Starfire's body. She was so innocent, and kind; she would never hurt anyone. however, Slade didn't seem to think along the same wavelength. His twisted mind had no idea of innocence. Robin knelt down, and caressed Starfire's hand, holding it tightly.

"Star..." He croaked. Suddenly, he remembered that there was one titan left. Robin dropped Starfire's hand and moved into a threatening stance at Slade.

"Where's Raven?" He demanded.  
"Oh her... She's not dead... yet..."

Raven fell from the ceiling to the floor. However, she was not scarred, burned or hurt. She was in fear. The tower began shaking, and the windows rattled loudly as Raven's emotions began to rocket. Slade grabbed her by the hood of the cloak she always wore and yanked her upwards with his right hand. Robin started to make a move towards them, but it was too late. Slade took his right hand and placed it across Raven's face. In a second, he had ripped her face off as she was still screaming and proceeded to snap her neck.

"NO!" Robin screamed.

There was nothing he could do, as Raven's body slumped to the ground, Robin fell to his knees weak with pain; emothionally and physically.

"How does it feel Robin, to have no friends?" Boomed Slade's voice.

Slade's voice was becoming faint, and fading out the more he talked. Robin heard no more as he was consumed by his very own grief and dispair of losing all of the titans to the one person he had grown to loath.

"Robin? Are you ok? Robin... Robin?"

* * *

"Robin? You ok"  
"GAAAHHH!" 

Robin's eyes sprung open, a sweat and tears trickling out of the sides and from under the mask. It was dark, but he still noticed a hand and arm over him. Immediatly he grabbed it and pushed it off his body, following it off the bed, finally landing on the top of the owner. Looking down his heavy gasps for air suddenly lightened, but he showed no signs of letting go of his "assailant."  
He was in his room. It was night. The curtains had been opened, and outside, dirty clouds covered the beautiful, shining moon. However, the clouds that had once been obstructing the moonlight outside began to move away, and Robin could finally see the owner of the arm. He hesitated...

* * *

Dun dun duuun!

Who is it? You'll have to wait to find out... Dunno when Chapter 3 will be up. Whenever I feel is necessary I guess...


	3. Apologies with Feeling

A/N: Aha! Youv'e been pondering who it was haven't you? Well now you find out. I bet you've already guessed by now though...

* * *

Chapter 3: Apologies with Feeling 

The owner was Raven.

Fear was clearly evident in her eyes, from what Robin could see.Raven was able to express emotions to some extent, since she'd trained herself extenisvely in the last few month, but extreme cases of emotionwould cause uncontrolable events. This happened to be one of those; it was the window in Robin's bedroom that fell victim to her emotional outbreak, letting a soft breeze flow in, along with the moonlight that was already washing through the room. The two titans simply stayed there for a few seconds; Robin lying on the top of Raven, who had her right arm up, and eyes wide open.

"R-R-Robin?" Raven stuttered.

Realising what he was doing, Robin immediately let go of her arm and stepped backwards, leaving an expression of horror on his face that Raven noticed. Hesitantly, Robin extended his hand out to her. She too was slightly hesitant at accepting this, but did so in the end, allowing herself to be pulled up so that she could stand.

"Sorry... I was"  
"Dreaming about Slade?" Raven finished.

Robin's expression became almost etched in his face, as her answer startled him. Did she enter his mind? Did he sleeptalk? Was it really that obvious?

"How did you know?"

Raven managed to pull a small, yet noticeable smile - something very odd for her.

"Well... There's only one person who could get you out of the tower at 3 a.m. without telling anyone else... You're almost possessed about him"

The obvious point it was then. Robin sat down on his bed and looked down toards the floor. Raven reluctantly sat down next to him, and almost copied his movement. Neither said anything for several seconds. Neither could think of anything to say. It was Raven who finally plucked up the courage to ask something.

"Erm... You ok?" She asked in a somewhat monotome voice. Robin chuckled slightly and turned to face her.  
"I don't know." He said. "How long have I been... asleep?"

Raven looked up to the ceiling as if to search for the answer up there.

"Let's see... I guess it must be about four days now..."

Robin leapt to his feet. And began to run for the door of his room.

"Four days! That's enough time to let Sla-"

Robin stopped he turned to see Raven staring at him in horror. What was he thinking? He'd only just come out of unconsciousness and already he was hell bent on catching Slade. She was right, he was possessed about him. He walked back over to Raven and sat down next to her.

"Look... I'm sorry. It's just... I hate to see it when anyone escapes... Especially him..." Robin winced. He finally remembered that he had been injured.  
"I know." Raven told him. "But the best thing you an do now, is rest. There's nothing really that any of us can do to stop you, so there's no point in trying. But if you're going to go after him, at least do it when you're healed..."

Raven looked pleadingly into Robin's eyes (or mask) during this, giving Robin the chance to notice something. He had never really looked at Raven properly before. He'd always thought she was cold and conservative, and had never realised she could be this caring about anyone, or anything, especially him. Staring deeper into her eyes, he noticed that the violet colour made her seem quite cute, despite her pale complexion. Robin's eyes were concealed behind the mask, so he took this oppotunity to check out Raven's body;it was almost perfectly curved. Robin jaw dropped slightly, but it was enough for Raven notice. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Something wrong?"

That sentence snapped Robin out of his day dream and back into reality.

"Just... thinking"  
"About what"  
"About... Slade"  
"Oh..." Raven began to turn to the floor with a look of slight disappointment on her face. Robin noticed this and tried to added something more.  
"I mean... I just don't want him to hurt anyone. I don't want anyone to lose loved ones or people close to them, like friends."

Raven put her hand on Robin's shoulder. Goosebumps suddenly rose on his neck, and he felt his heart beat slightly faster, causing an uncomfortable ache in his ribs, but he managed not to express it.

"We all do Robin..." whispered Raven.  
"I just..." Robin seemed to be going off in a sort of daze."I just... don't know what I'll do if I did lose you"  
"Excuse me?" Raven was suddenly taken aback by his last statement. Robin also realised what he had just said and tried to quickly added something to the end.  
"I-I mean...I don't kow what I'd do without you... and... the rest of the titans"  
"Oh... ok..."

Robin began to to panic, and tried to change the subject quickly. He completely ignored the slight sound of disappointment in her voice.

"So... erm... How did you find me"  
"Your bike... Cyborg had a tracer planted in it... Incase you did something like you did four days ago"  
"Haha... I see... And I've been lying in here since then"  
"Well yeah... I've been taking care of you kinda..."

Raven began to blush a slight red, something Robin noticed, but said nothing about. He began to be very intrigued.

"So... erm... Why did you... stay"  
"I... I'm the only one with any real healing powers... I... thought you'd need them." She knew that answer didn't satisfy Robin. "I also wanted to make sure you didn't gocharging off after Slade straight after, since I was the only one worked out it was Slade who attacked you"  
"Really? The others don't know?"  
"No... I've kept it under wraps. Despite the entire incident blatantly showing them it was him."  
"Oh... Well erm... Thanks."

Raven smiled at the young fighter and stood up.

"No problem."she said.

She moved over to the broken glass on the floor, and using her powers managed to seal up the broken window. When she turned round to ask Robin a question, she found he had fallen asleep again. Raven slowly walked over to Robin's bedside and leaned over him.

She stared down at him and suddenly noticedhe was actually half-dressed. How could she not noticed? His muscular, well-built body was- Wait... Raven shook her head to compose herself... What was she thinking. He's her leader and friend... Was this all due to the comment he made earlier, or something else?  
If she was going to be completely honest with herself, she knew that she'd been developing a soft spot for Robin since he was blackmailed by Slade into becoming his apprentice. She had admired the fact that he refused to put any of the titans' lives in danger; this being at the cost of his freedom. However, Raven found herself bumping into the boy wonder more and more as the days moved on, sometimes literally. On the whole, she simply ignored this and tried to move on, but this was to no avail, as it simply made her think about him even more.  
Raven leaned in closer to Robin and could hear him snoring quietly. It was actually cute looking at him like this, and she giggled. She didn't really know why; perhaps it was out of admiration for his work, or just because he looked cute, but she slowly, leaned over him and planted a quick small kiss on his left cheek.

"Goodnight... Robin." She whispered, and slowly walked out of his room. As the automatic doors closed, the "sleeping" body of Robin suddenly sat up. He turned to the door and felt the cheek that Raven had kissed, then slowly laid his head back on his pillow.

"Goodnight... Rae..."

* * *

And there you go folks... The biggest hint yet! Beware for this to carry on in the next few chapters! Mwahahaha! 

Aww... And doesn't Robin looks cute whilst sleeping? Imagine what Batman would've thought if he found out someone thought of little Richard like that? Speaking of the Dark Knight...

Next Chapter: **Awakened, but Unscathed**


	4. Awakened, but Unscathed

A/N: Whoah! People like it!

**Wogle** (In a Cyborg/Jules from Pulp Fictionaccent): Alright, y'all, this is just a "set-the-scene" chapter for the BIG romance things to come... Then followed by the extremely dark story... MWAHAHAHAHA! I know y'all gonna be saying "Hey! Wogle, this don't make a god damn bit of sense now that "Birthmark's" been aired!" Well I'll say this: I don't care! I finished most of this before that episode, and it'sa Fan Fiction... A'ight? And didn't Raven look kinda hot with her long hair?  
**Robin**: Hey! She's my girl, Moron!  
**Wogle**: Easy there, not according to the fic so far she ain't!  
**Robin**: We'll see...  
**Wogle**: Hey Raven... Wanna go out on a date?  
**Raven**: Sure...  
**Robin**: NOOOOOOO!

Ok, but seriously... Some of you have picked up on a hint I dropped last chapter's notes. You'll need to be very patient if you want to know what that's all about... It'll all be revealed in Chapter9 (15 in total, not including alternate ending), so you'll just have to wait.

* * *

Chapter 4: Awakened, but Unscathed

Despite the troubles of the previous night, Robin was up relatively early the next morning. He knew that he still needed to heal, but also knew that nothing would be able to keep him entertained whilst he was on the mend in his bed...

At least nothing could entertain him until about 8:30 that is; at 8:29 Robin was just in the hallway into the living room area staring down at the watch on his arm waiting for the moment.

"Almost there he said to himself."

Five seconds to go... Four... Three... Two... One!

"BEAST BOY! I SAID NO TOFU!"

Robin chuckled quietly to himself. The daily Tofu-meat battle had begun on the dot.

"Aww come on Cyborg! Tofu's great! It's just like meat, but not"  
"Maybe great for you! But I prefer real meat if you don't mind"  
"Hey! I'm not a cannibal"  
"Oh yeah? Guess why yesterday's "Tofu" tasted so good?"

The sound of cutlery dropping followed that statement, along with a scream from Beast Boy, and a large thud.

"Hmm..." Came Cyborg's voice. "How interesting... I guess I shouldn't joke like that so much"  
"Cy, that was SOOO not funny"  
"Must you always argue like this in the morning good friends"  
"Star", Began Beast Boy, "there's no way I'll stop until Cyborg accepts tofu... And stops making those jokes"  
"Please keeping joking like that Cyborg... It's keeps him quiet... And that's very funny Robin, you hiding in the shadows."

Robin suddenly stumbled forward at the sound of Raven's voice. He hadn't expected her up at this time, never mind guessing he was there. As he stumbled forward, he emerged from the shadowy corridor and into the living room area and fell flat on his face. As he slowly got up he looked round to the surprised faces of the other titans.  
Cyborg and Beast Boy had stopped the usual battle of the food and were staring down at the clumsy Robin. Both had forgotten the fact that they were holding each other's throats. Starfire was floating above the kitchen counter with a bottle of appeared to be mustard, her gaze on Robin one of delight. Raven on the other hand was leaning against the kitchen counter reading a book, with a satisfied smile on his face. No one moved or said anything until Robin finally got to his feet.

"Umm... Morning guys." he said finally.  
"ROBIN!" Starfire exclaimed. She rushed down dropping the mustard onto the head of Cyborg ("Starfire! Watch where you're dropping things!"), and hugged Robin in a death-like grip, causing him to wince and go purple with the lack of oxygen.  
"It is so good to have you back with us!" She told him.  
"Yeah... Thanks Star..." Robin replied straining. "Umm... Is it too much to ask if you could... Y'know, loosen your grip"  
"Huh? Oh! I am so sorry!"

Starfire let Robin go, and simply beamed at him. Cyborg and Beast Boy laughed.

"Haha... Guess you're looking alright." Cyborg said to Robin. "Just remember, those four days you were out gave me enough time to practice kicking your ass on every game in the tower"  
"Oh yeah?" Robin joked heartily. "Bring it on Cy"  
"Hey... Guys?" Beast Boy smugly said. "You both know I'm still the champion"  
"Yeah right BB..." Cyborg laughed. "Hey Robin! Want some cooked breakfast. With MEAT!"

Cyborg shot a fierce, yet joking look at Beast Boy. Beast Boy replied with a similar look.

"No way! He KNOWS Tofu's good!"

Robin laughed to himself before replying.

"No thanks guys. I think I'll stick to some muesli..."

Both Cyborg and Beast Boy stared at Robin with disappointment.

"Typical... You have to go with the boring healthy breakfast!" They said in unison.

Robin laughed out loud as he walked towards the kitchen, and noticed Raven, still reading her book, was laughing too. Everyone looked towards her in surprise.

"Dude..." Beast Boy exclaimed. "She... She laughed at something I said"  
"No BB." Said Raven. "I'm laughing at you..."

Everyone laughed at that joke, including Beast Boy. It took a few seconds for Beast Boy to suddenly realise what she had said.

"Hey! That's not funny!"

As Robin began to pour the milk his "tasty" bowl of muesli, he moved his head up to look at Raven, and to his surprise noticed that she was staring at him. As soon as she noticed Robin was staring at her, she snapped her head back to the position it was when she was reading her book. Robin made no comment, simply continuing to stare at the purple-haired girl, and began to think back to the previous night. Why DID Raven kiss him? Would she have done so if he weren't snoring? To Robin, Raven's kiss didn't just feeling like a friendly kiss, but it actually felt like something was between them - it was a sort of bond.

"Umm... Robin... Is the white cow-liquid supposed to be poured onto shoes when making Muesli?"

Robin snapped back to reality and realised he was still pouring the milk. He gave a yelp of surprise and stopped pouring. Looking down, Robin found that the milk had overflowed from the bowl and spilled onto the kitchen counter and onto his shoes. Whilst Cyborg and Beast Boy stared at him oddly with food their mouths, Robin attempted to rummage around the bottom cupboards and find a cloth to wipe up the mess.

"Don't worry... I got it."

Raven had already found a cloth and, using her powers, was wiping up the remainder of the milk whilst standing next to Robin. Robin looked up sheepishly at her, causing Raven to blush a light pink that was barely noticeable.

"There. Done." She said quickly, and floated off to the couch to read her book. Robin picked up his muesli and began to slowly guzzle it down, still staring at Raven. He picked up from his previous thoughts and began to contemplate things even more...

* * *

Oooh... What does he contemplate (DUH!)? I nkow, this was kind of a lame chapter, but I don't care! I could've combined 2 chapters here, but then where's the suspense in that!

Heh, if you hate a lot of romance, skip the next... Goes and checks, 3 or 4 chapters when they come up. (WTF! 3 or 4!) Fine, don't read!

Next Chapter: **Bonding the Birds**


	5. Bonding the Birds

A/N: Ok people... I know it's been ages since the last chapter, but the truth is that I haven't actually written the middle. Now that might sounds strange, but when I started this I actually wrote the last couple of chapters (well... not the LAST one, but you know...) as well as the first few. I had ideas for the middle part, but it didn't seem to shape up until recently. 

Oh, and on that subject, since this story has 2 endings, let's just say I cried whilst writing one of them...

Oh yeah, before I forget, Raven's grown her hair out kinda to the length to what it was in Birthmark... Actually, strange story... About a week or two before birthmark was aired, I drew Raven with long hair like she did in birthmark, and kinda in a ragged state like she was in the episode... Weird huh?

Anyway... enough with that... ON WITH THE CHAPTER! (Warning: Long rambling chapter ahead... I ain't too good on the romance side...)

* * *

Chapter 5: Bonding the Birds 

"You... Mind if I sit here?"

Robin had walked over to couch and was standing infront of Raven, who continued to read her book. Raven shrugged, which Robin took as a yes. He planted his backside next to Raven and began to devour his muesli, as Raven continued to read her book. Neither said anything at all for a couple of minutes, but both had thoughts flying around their head.

"_Oh god..._" Raven thought. "_I hope he didn't know what I did last night... That would be really embarrassing. His cheek was really soft thou- Whoah! Stop right there Raven._"  
"_Come on..._" Robin thought to himself. "_It was just a small, friendly kiss... Right? Why am I thinking about it? Should I ask her about it?_"

Finally, the silence was broken.

"Don't you hate that?"

Raven had asked Robin something quite unexpected, though still reading her book. Robin looked over at Raven, confused, but still eating his muesli.

"Erm... What?" he asked.  
"Uncomfortable silences. Why do we feel it's necessary to talk about bullshit in order to be comfortable?"

Robin finished off the last of his muesli, placed the bowl on the table infront of him, and leant back on the couch, stretching his arms out behind it, and podndering Raven's question. Raven moved her eyes slowly and saw that his forearms were actually behind her back, but trusted him and returned to reading her book.

"I don't know..." Robin finally replied. "That's a very good question..."

"That's when you know you've found somebody special. When you can just shut the fuck up for a minute and comfortably enjoy the silence."

Robin turned and looked at Raven. He had never seen this side of her before, and was intrigued. She never seemed like the type of person who'd bring up a subject like this - she seemed more of someone who'd talk about more depressive things.

For the next hour they managed to talk about everything... Everythingbut their past that is. They argued over what was the best music genre, they argued over what was the best film out so far, even whether Sushi was better than noodles. However, since they didn't talk about their pasts, it was as though they both had something terrible to hide from the other. By 9:40, both had managed to get onto the subject of waffles.

"You're telling me you ACTUALLY love waffles"  
"Yes Robin... I love waffles"  
"Would you do anything for waffles"  
"Hypotheically, yes. If you're trying to bribe me... Then probably yes too..."

Robin laughed out loud an threw his head back at that statement. He liked Raven's sense of humour, but also found that it was more entertaining by the fact that she talked in a monotone sort of way mostly. Raven on the other hand, was only giggling at Robin's boyish laughter. However, their laughter did not last for long, as the alarms went off in the tower. Both Robin and Raven instantly stopped laughing. Robin raced over to the monitor's control panel and started typing things in.

"Raven!" He ordered. "Go get the others. I'll find out who it is."

Raven nodded, and floated off to grab the other titans. It didn't take long to round them up, since they wre already on their way up. However, when they returned they found that Robin had abandoned the console.

"Where'd he go?" Cyborg wondered out loud.

As the rest of titans stood in the doorway, Raven walked up to panel and began to type a few things in, finally coming up with the last camera feed.

"Oh hell no!" Cyborg groaned.  
"Well then friends, we must go to him quickly!" Starfire advised.

As the four remaining titans ran out of the tower, they left the flickering image on the Monitor to play. The reason that Robin left without the others, was because the alarm causer, was Slade...

* * *

"AAAAARGGGHH!" 

Robin hit the ground hard. He had just fallen from a high beam on the construction site onto his back. He rolled over onto his front and pushed himself up slowly, to face the shadowy figure walking towards him.

"Robin... You HAVE improved, but you're still far from my level of combat skill."  
"WE'LL SEE SLADE!"

Once again, the almost common battle between Slade and Robin had commenced. Slade merely blocked all of Robin's advances, as he attmpted to find an sort of weak point against Slade. However, Robin's skill no match for Slade's, and he found himself on the floor underneath Slade's foot.

"Robin..."Slade said coldy. "I can see you're not going to give in to me... I think I've had enough of you..."

Slade lifted his right foot up slowly over the unconscious body of Robin.

"Goodbye, my apprentice..."  
"Leave him alone!"

A green starbolt zapped Slade off his feet and onto the floor. The other four titans had arrived just in time. Surveying the surroundings, they noticed Robin once again lying limp on the ground. Raven looked to the rest of the titans..

"You guystake on Slade." She told them."I'll drag Robin out of the way, and try to heal him up."  
"Ok, Rae." Cyborg replied. He looked up towards Slade and screamed, "TITANS, GO!"

Each of the titans raced to their do their parts; Beast Boy attempted to wrestle Slade as a Gorrila, whilst Starfire and Cyborg hit him from long range, and Raven ran over to Robin's body.

"Come on Robin, don't go out on me." She whispered to herself. She placed her hands over Robin's cheast, and it began to glow black as she attempted to mend any damage he had incurred. As she tried haeling, she noticed a green glove rise up and slowly caress her cheek. Raven stopped in shock, and looked down into Robin's mask.

"R-Robin?" She exclaimed?  
"Raven..."

Both looked into each other's eyes. Robin was barely conscious, but he felt something inside him. It was the same feeling he felt when he thought about Raven a few days ago. However, his strength didn't last and Robin fainted with exhaustion. Raven felt his body slump, and tried to drag him behind a pillar. However, Slade had watched the entire scene. He had found the battle with Cyborg, Beat Boy and Starfire, much too boring and had looked over to where Robin and Raven were. He paid special attention to Robin's act, and smile to himself. Slade backflipped away from the titans and stood tall.

"Until we meet again..."

As if by magic, he melted into the shadows, leaving the titans bewildered and confused.

"Uh... What was that about?" Cyborg asked.  
"Who knows dude..."  
"Umm... Should we not get Robin back to the tower for repairing?" Starfire suggested.

With that, they all re-grouped to Raven's position. She explained that Robin might have some fractured ribs and would need to be taken to the tower immediately.

"Ok then, Titans back to the tower!" Cyborg ordered.

* * *

Come on everyone... Have a guessed which film I made a reference to? It's like... One of my most favourite films of all time! 

The chapters might be released slowly too for several reasons:  
- I actually want to watch the rest of the series now and base my FF around them.  
- I'm very busy with A-Level coursework (especially media studies, where I'm filming a trailer)  
- Have another project called "The Chronicles of Bubbles". It's an action/comedy machinima.  
- Working on another Fan Fic. It's a Metal Gear one (because it's my most favourite game series EVER!)


	6. Shopping Calms the Soul Part 1

A/N: OMFG! I updated! Ok, I'm really sorry I haven't updated, but thanks to the people who reviewed even weeks and months after I last updated.

I've had a lot going on, what with getting a part-time job, filming a trailer, filming a movie, doing Coursework etc. It's been getting on top of me... OK! I also had writers block for a bit...

BTW, this isn't actually the full chapter SHOCK HORROR... The full chapter is actually a lot longer, but I've split it up. I might even change this one a bit when the next one is uploaded.

Anyway, hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 6: Shopping Calms the Soul - Part 1

Robin sat up sharply on the bed in the infirmary, in Titans Tower. He was sweating heavily, almost to the point where it looked like he had run a marathon. For a few seconds he breathed in and out slowly, deeply, and heavily. This didn't last long, as he felt something touch his right shoulder. Immediately he grabbed the arm of the assailant, pulled them onto the bed and towered over them with his hand pointed at their throat.

"I'm getting a feeling of Deja-Vu..."

Slowy, and with huge embarrassment he slowly removed his hand from near Raven's throat, and allowed her to stand up next to the bed. Robin felt his ribs hurting, but knowing what the Titans would do if he attempted to get up and walk around, simply lay back on the infirmary bed and looked up at the ceiling.

"Sorry..." Robin said quietly. "Reflex action... I guess..."

Raven raised her left eyebrow and eyed him suspiciously. Anyone who had a reflex action like that was pretty much paranoid. Of course, she already knew that about Robin, and so did pretty much every other titan in the tower.

"Yeah..." Raven attempted to make it sound like she believed him, but it obviously wasn't working. "I guess it's a reflex action for you"  
"Heh... Guess you're right."

An uneasy silence followed. Neither of them said much until Cyborg charged into the infirmary.

"I heard a bit of a racket in he- Oh Robin! You're awake! You ok man"  
Robin turned his face towards Cyborg.  
"Yeah Cyborg. I'm fine thanks"  
"Okay... Well Rae can stay here and look after you... I gotta get back, 'cos Starfire's attempting to feed BB some sort of a Tamaranian meat, without him knowing. Anyway, just rest a bit y- OH MAN! STARFIRE WHAT'VE YOU DONE!"

Cyborg raced off to save, what Robin assumed, would be Beast Boy from Starfire's determined attempts to feed him by chasing him around the tower. Robin moved to the edge of the bed and sat on it. Slowly, he moved his head up to loo at Raven, who hadn't moved since Robin had let go of her earlier. Robin could tell that there was an uneasy feeling in room. He checked his watch, then looked towards the window. He stood up, expecting Raven to rush to stop him; he noticed she moved a little, but it seemed as if she was hesitanting, incase he decided to do something. Robin slowly moved towards the large window that face East.

"Come here", he said softly.

Again, Raven seemed hesitant, but she floated over to Robin in the end. For a few minutes, they said nothing, and Raven was beginning to wonder what Robin was doing.

"Hold on a second Raven..."

Robin had interrupted Raven before she even had a chance to open her mouth. Deciding to play along, she turned to face the Eastern window and check out what Robin wanted to show her.

"Here we go", said Robin.

The Sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, but it was enough to make Raven gasp in awe. She'd always seen Sunsets so red and beautiful, but had never been up early enough to see a sunrise in the same sort of way. Raven closed her eyes as she felt the rays touch her skin. They didn't appear to bathe her in the normal warmth, but it felt weirdly unnatural. Robin turned from looking at the sunrise to looking at Raven, whose face seemed to glow in the early morning sunrise. For about half an hour, they watched the sunrise from the depths of the ocean.

"What did you think?" asked Robin.  
Raven shrugged her shoulders replying, "It was ok I suppose."

Robin gave a small chuckle, which died away very quickly. Raven kept a watch on him out of the corner of her eye, and noticed that he had suddenly switched personalities, almost like a schizo. His "romantic" and sweet self that had been before the sunrise, suddenly became determined and hard. She knew what was going through his head at this moment in time.

"Don't ruin it Robin..." She said quietly, still staring out of the window.

Robin eyed her suspiciously. He had no idea what she was talking about, although he might have been able to take a pretty good guess at it.

"Ruin what?" He said innocently.  
"Please..." Raven finally turned to him. "This is probably one of the most peaceful moments of my life... Don't ruin it..."

Robin stared into Raven's pleading, deep purple eyes. He sighed.

"Ok"  
"Umm... You don't have to stroke my hair too y'know.."

Robin obviously had no idea what he was doing, and quickly yanked his arm out of sight and turned around, letting Raven giggle a little. Robin began to move quickly out of the infirmary, making Raven's giggling stop dead. Raven floated out of the infrimary after him.

"Robin..." She began.

Robin stopped and turned to look at Raven, who was staring at him in an odd way - almost as if she was trying to contemplate asking something she really shouldn't.

"What is it?"  
"Umm... Why don't we go shopping later?"

"_Shopping_!" Thought Robin. "_What the hell is she asking about shopping for at this time. I need to catch Slade, I don't have time for this... It's pointless_."

Raven saw the same expression after he looked out the window form on Robin's face.

"Come on Robin... A bit of shopping will take your mind off Slade"  
"I don't WANT to forget him. I will make him PAY!"

Robin began to march off towards his room, but was stopped by the big black wall that was in his way. He stopped in his tracks, but didn't move.

"Drop the wall Raven." He warned. Robin's voiced had become stone cold, and didn't sound anything like him. "I'm warning you"  
"Or you'll do what?" Raven retorted. "Look at yourself Robin. LISTEN to yourself. This isn't like you. Yes, you can be a little possessed over Slade, but now your becoming-"

Raven immediately stopped talking. She knew that she might have gone too far with that sentence. However, Robin knew that she was right and slumped his shoulders, calming himself down. He turned around to face Raven, who hesitantly dropped the wall she had created with her powers.

"Ok.." Robin had finally given in. "Let's go shopping."

Raven hovered up to where Robin stood and both began to walk down the corridor towards her room.

"Y'know", Robin joked, "I'm guessing that this shopping trip is a little more than just to get me to calm down. All girls know that these kinds of things are hated by men"  
"That's true. However, I... Don't actually have a lot of clothes."

They stopped otuside Raven's room, and Robin turned and gave Raven a funny look.

"Really? You a GIRL don't have a ton of clothes"  
"Please Robin... I don't socialise too much. I see no need for a lot of them.  
"But you have something other than that tight fitting leotard right?"

"Oh geez... Did I really say that?", thought Robin. "TIGHT-FITTING? Am I mad to say that?" He mentally kicked himself in the head, and looked apologetically at the odd stare that Raven was giving him. However, she didn't seem to notice that small thing Robin had insinuated.

"Hey... I do have clothes y'know"  
"Ahh... yeah..."

Raven giggled and stepped into her room, then turned to face Robin, as if you say "Don't even think about coming in." Robin got the message and just stood outside the door.

In side her room, Raven charged at her wardrobe, and threw it open, to find that she REALLY didn't have a lot of clothes.

All Robin did was pace outside Raven's room.

"So... How do I look?"

Robin turned around, and felt his jaw drop. Raven was certainly no longer wearing her leotard - Robin wasn't even sure that it was Raven. Raven was wearing a tight fitting Tank-Top, which was covered over by a zip-up hoodie (which wasn't zipped up), with her long purple hair folowing over her shoulders. Usually, she'd never wear trousers, but in this case, her tight-fitting jeans suited her figure well. Her trainers were nothing special, but Robin still couldn't believe she was the same Raven. Despite her looking more "normal", she looked a lot sexier. Raven turned her head away slightly, and blushed, before speaking to Robin in her usual monotone voice.

"So... umm... Do I look ok?"

Robin shook himself out of his daze and answered immediately.

"Yes!" He exclaimed. Raven suddenly stared at him in a perculiar way, so he tried to cover up his tracks. "I mean... What I meant to say was... You look... Nice and... umm..."

Robin slumped his shoulders and looked down at the floor in defeat.

"I'm... Not going to win this am I?"

Raven placed her hand over her mouth, and giggled slightly, then proceeding to walk over to Robin.

"It's fine." She grabbed his arm and interlocked it into hers, causing Robin to stare nervously at her.

"Well then... Shall we?" She asked.

* * *

Ok people, this is where it ends for now, but the next update will include the rest of this shopping trip... I know some of the characters are not acting like they should, but hey, MY FAN FICTION!

I'm also still deciding which ending will be the official one, because although I hate happy love-filled endings in most hollywood films (ugh), I'm still a softy for romance... which isn't good for a guy...

Anywho... back to working on stuff...


	7. 15 Death is but the next big Adventure

**Author's Notes:**

Hello!

Wow. It HAS been a long time, hasn't it? I know it's been years since I last updated this fan fiction, but I wanted some sort of closure to it.

Truth is, I never ACTUALLY finished _Death of the Apprentice_. As I was writing it I started to get more involved in writing scripts and so moved into that and film making. I'm now at university doing a creative writing and media production course. Essentially this means I've been able to write scripts and end up creating them for the screen. Currently I'm in the process of turning one of my scripts into my second year "film" project.

I had always intended to finish _Death of the Apprentice_, but I guess I could never quite find the time to do it. Although it sounds arrogant, I felt that it was a great story. I don't want to explain too much in case I suddenly do finish it, but I always wanted to explore Robin's dark side. In the comics Dick Grayson (the Robin I chose this Robin to be, who it turns out is that Robin anyway) is a very dark character himself. Although some people call the _Teen Titans_ series "Kiddy", I felt that Robin's nature was translated very well, and the very close similarities between Slade and Robin made for compelling stories. I especially enjoyed the episode "Haunted", which I still believe to this day was the series' best episode.

The following chapter is the ending which I wrote back in 2005. In fact, this was only one of 2 different endings. There was a happy ending and a sad ending. This is the sad one. Why did I choose the sad one? Well I could've gone with the happy one, but I felt that after what Robin did it was more fitting for him to have sacrificed his life to save everyone. It also made the loss of Robin that much more tragic for Raven.

If I get enough requests I'll put up the happy ending. Heck, if I get enough interest I may just decide to finish the story (and perhaps change some of the original chapters since some of them could be better written).

I wont spoil everything that has happened in the stroy, so I'll give a summary of the previous chapter (or two).

The titans have all been incapacitated by Slade and Robin except for Raven. Batman has been fighting Robin and preotecting the incapacitated Titans from being killed. Robin is finally freed from Slade's shadow (don't want to explain too much here), and fights Slade on the rooftop of Titans Tower alongside Raven. They are hurting him severely, but Slade still has the upper hand. Finally, Robin throws Raven to one side as Slade pounces on him. Robin is lying on a trap he set earlier - a bomb. He struggles with Slade, and rolls aside slightly before setting it off, seemingly killing Slade, whose corpse lies on the edge of the tower before slowly sliding off and into the sea. Robin however has been caught in the blast of the explosion.

So I hope you enjoy the final chapter of Death of the Apprentice.

* * *

Chapter 15 - Death is but the next big Adventure 

"Robin!"

Raven's screamed pierced through the dark night. She sprinted over to the bruised, and battered body of Robin. Slowly lifting up his head, she cradled it in her arms. Raven broke down onto her knees, laid his head onto her lap and weeped. As she weeped, Raven suddenly felt Robin moving slowly. She began to stifled her tears and whimpers, and looked down at his bruised and battered face. Robin slowly opened his eyes, and looked into Raven's. At that moment, he was looking at the most beautiful sight in the world. He felt weak, and knew what was coming, but there were still things he had to know...

"S-Slade..." Croaked Robin. "Is he..."

Raven managed to let out a cough that was supposed to be a laugh.

"Yeah." She replied. "He's dead. Your bomb killed him"  
"Are you sure?" Robin asked.  
"Yeah. I made sure of it..."

Robin slowly moved his right hand up to Raven's face, stroking her right cheek gently. Raven gentley held his hand with hers, allowing her soaked long hair to fall past her head. She closed her eyes, and tears began to drip onto Robin's face - he didn't notice though, since it was raining.

"Well at least that's over." Raven said. "We can finally move on with our lives"  
"No."

Robin's interruption caught Raven completely off-guard. She stared down at Robin in horror, not wanting to believe what he ahd just said.

"What do you mean?!" She cried tearfully. "Was it because of me? Did I do something wrong? Do you really like Starfire more? Are you mad about-"

Raven shut her mouth as Robin pressed a finger to her lips. Raven allowed her salty tears to flow freely from her eyes, but this strong emotion also caused a small crack to appear in one of the windows below. Robin removed his finger and answered her.

"Raven... We can't move on because... Well... I won't be here..."

Robin continued to smile up at Raven's confused facial expression, and then pointed down at his shirt. Raven looked over at her eyes widened in horror. Blood was soaking through Robin's outfit, causing a large red blot to appear. She quickly undid the shirt, finally seeing what Robin meant - debris from the explosion had pierced his chest and lungs.

Robin was slowly dying.

Raven turned back to look at Robin's face, shaking her head frantically refusing to accept her biggest fear.

"N-No... You won't die! I won't let you Robin... Please... You've meant so much to me recently... I don't want to lose you again... Not after we've just been re-united. It's too much for me"  
"Raven... You know I love you. Just remember that, ok?"

Raven sniffled, but nodded her head. She bent down over Robin, and pressed her lips against his own. Robin closed his eyes and relaxed into the kiss. He about to die, and wanted to savour ever moment of this. After a few seconds he opened, his eyes, and felt his body slowly weakening. He stared at the angellic face of Raven, until everything finally went black...

Raven broke away from the kiss, when he suddenly couldn't feel Robin kissing her back.

"Robin?" She got no reply. "ROBIN?!" Raven let go of his head slowly, and it slumped down into her lap. All the windows in the Titan Tower exploded as Raven screamed at the top of her voice in anguish.

"ROOOOOBBBIIIIIIINNN!!!"

Raven pulled Robin's body closer to her, and she lay down next to it, holding him tightly against her. She knew he would slowly become cold, but she didn't care. She simply closed her eyes and held him close.

"Goodbye Richard..."

Raven turned to look up, and saw Batman standing over the both of them, a sullen look on his face. Raven sat upright, continuing to hold Robin's body close to hers.

"Were you... proud of him?" She asked him.

Batman pulled a small smile, and began to walk away.

"He was like my family. He was like my son. He knew how I felt about him. And so do you."

Just as he reached the top of stairs into the tower, Raven asked one more question.

"Do you regret anything?"

Batman hesitated, both in movement, and in speech. He looked up at the sky and then turned to look at Raven.

"He once told me that he wished he had died alongside his parents. I knew how he felt, and that's why I took him in. I treated him like my son, and that's all there is to it. I regret only not helping him, like I couldn't help Jason..."

He turned his head around slightly.

"Perhaps now he's finally got what he wanted."

With that, Batman walked down the stairs from the roof into the depths of the dark Titan Tower, leaving Raven alone on the roof, still clutching Robin's body. The rain slowly began to lighten, until it finally stopped altogether. As that happened, the Sun began to rise over the horizon, it's light flooding accross the water and the two people on the Titans Tower rooftop. Raven watched the Sun as it began to rise from the depths of the sea, before once again looking down at Robin's peaceful face.

"There's the sunrise Robin..." She whispered into his ear. "We're watching it together. Just like we wanted..."

* * *

And that is **_Death of the Apprentice_**.

I hoped you enjoyed it.

Please Read and Review.


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